Electric conductor extension cord



Jan. 31, 1950 M. G. STEELE ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR EXTENSION CORD Filed April9, 1947 Patented Jan. 31, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE ApplicationApril 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,413

1 Claim. (Cl. 174-417) This invention relates to electrical conductors,and more particularly to an electrical extension cord incorporated intothe structure of a scatter rug.

One object of the invention is to provide an electrical rug connector ofthe above nature which may be easily moved whenever desired from onelocation to another, in order to connect appliances which are remotefrom an electric outlet.

A further object is to provide a rug connector of the above nature inwhich the conductor cord will be concealed within'the body of the rugwithout affecting the ornamental appearanceof said rug and withoutnoticeable upward projections.

A further object is to provide an electric rug connector of the abovenature, in which the'intermediate portion of the cord will be secured toor woven into the rug and having a plug and ajsocket located beyond theends of said rug.

A further object is to provide an electric rug extension cord of theabove nature, in which the conductor wires may either be woven into therug fabric itself in an invisible manner or'may be secured to theundersurface of said rug by a webbing or tape stitched thereto. 1,

A further object is to incorporate conductor wires in the rug in such amanner that the'structure of the rug will protect the conductors' fromdamage and from the possibility of short circuits.

A further object is to provide an electric extension rug connector ofthe above nature, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, and very efficientand durable in use. I

With these and other objects in .view, there s have been illustrated onthe accompanying drawing two forms in which the invention mayconvem'ently be embodied in practice.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 represents a perspective vlew of an electrical connector rugembodying the presentinvention as it appears when attached at one end toa wall outlet socket and at its other end to an extension plug of atoaster located on an adjoining table.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same showing how the spacedelectric cords are woven into the fabric of the rug.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention illustratinghow the spaced conductors are brought together adjacent each otheroutside the ends of the rug.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, of a modified form of theinvention showing how the two spaced conductors may be attached to theundersurface of the-rug by a. strip of webbing secured to said rug bystitching.

The present invention relates generally to electrical wiring extensions,such as are commonly used to connect electrical appliances, such as:radios, lamps, toasters, fans, electric irons, percolator s, waffleirons, grills, etc. to electric outlets.

The disadvantages of the common form of the electrical extension cordare that it will not lie flat on the floor, and presents a constanthazard to persons moving about the room, who may trip over the cordcausing a great deal of incon venience and embarrassment as well aspersonal injury or property damage.

By means of the present invention, the above and other disadvantageshave been avoided by means of a simple, inexpensive, attractive, andsafe rug connector. 7

This is accomplished by combining with a scatter rug, a pair oflongitudinal electric insulated conductor wires which are spaced apartin the body of the rug, and are brought close together beyond the endsof the rug, where they are connected to the two-prong plug and thetwo-aperture socket respectively.

This construction permits the electrical appliance to be located at apoint remote from the wall outlet, in such a manner that persons maywalk over the rug without any danger of entanglement with the connectorcord;

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral Illindicates a large rug on which is located a small scatter rug I I, inthe bottom of which are secured a pair of flat stranded conductors I2,I3 arranged in spaced apart relation. The conductors I2, I3 are coveredby a pair of tubular insulating coverings I4, I5 and are secured to therug by weaving into the rows of longitudinal warp threads I6 andtransverse woof threads I1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Beyond the ends of the rug II, the flat insulated conductors I2, I3 arebrought closely together to form short end cords I8, I9, wherein saidinsulated conductors are held in abutment as by cement or stitching. Theend section I9 terminates in a two-prong plug 20 for detachableinsertion in a wall outlet plate 2 I.

It is also within the scope of the present invention to employ anordinary cylindrical two-wire cord, in which case the outer coveringwill be stripped from the insulated conductors for that portion of thelength of the cord which passes through the rug, and the abuttedinsulated wires will be spaced laterally apart at said portion.

It is also within the purview of the invention to provide the scatterrug with a pair of tunnels or channels through which the spacedinsulated 5 conductors may be threaded.

The end cord I8 is provided with a two-aperture socket 22, which isadapted to be connected to a two-prong plug 23, on the end of a standardap pliance cord 24 leading to a toaster is located on 10 a table 26.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, instead ofincorporating the spaced flat conductor cords l2, I3 into the rug II byweating, said cords are attached to the under-sur i face of said rug bymeans of a strip 21 of webbing into which the conductors have beenpreviously incorporated, as by weaving, which strip is secured to saidrug By longitudinal rows of stitching 28.- I ,V

The conductor wires are preferably covered with durable moderninsulating material such as fiber, glass, plastic, etc, which is highlyresistant to abrasion and shock, and facilitates concealment in the rugstructure and minimizes any 25 tendency toward lumpiness. V

One advantage of the present inventionis that ifdesired, the rugconnector may be readily at tached to an electric outlet in the floor ofa room without making a hole in the rug.

While there has been disclosed in this specification two forms in whichthis invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that these formsare shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the inventionis not to be limit- 35 Number ed to the specific disclosures, but may bemodifled and embodied in various other forms withand incorporatedtherewith by means of a longitudinal webbing positioned under saidconductors secured to said rug by stitching, said conductor cords beinglocated in substantial abutment with each other at their end sectionswhich extend beyond both ends of said rug, thereby producing a unitaryscatter rug and extension monies 'G. REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNIT ED STATES JPATIEINI." S

Number Name Date 1,751,386 Belden Mar. 18, 1930 30 2,107,598 Colvi'nFeb. 8, 1938 2,129,540 Van Billiard Sept. 6, 1938 2,155,060 PhillipsApr. 18, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date 247,777 Great Britain Feb.25', 1926 509,000 France Aug. 6, 1920

